


Snail Jellybeans

by apollothyme



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-25
Updated: 2012-11-25
Packaged: 2017-11-19 13:43:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/573887
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apollothyme/pseuds/apollothyme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Liam has been in love with Zayn since the moment he first saw him in the Hogwarts Express. Five years later, and he still hasn't quite figured out how to tell him that.</p><p>Or, the one where Liam and Zayn are pathetically in love with each other (but take too damn long to let the other one know), Louis refuses to admit he has crush on Harry, and Niall just wants there to be a food marathon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Snail Jellybeans

**Author's Note:**

> A big, big thank you to everyone who cheered for me while I was writing this fic, but an even bigger one to my love [Sara](http://recklesschaos.tumblr.com/), who is the best cheerleader I've ever met and who I miss with all my heart, and to [Vicky](http://tmnsns.tumblr.com/) for being amazing and beta'ing this for me at midnight just could I could post it before I went to bed.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoys this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it ♥

“He’s looking at you again.” Louis whispers against the shell of Liam’s ear, leaning into Liam’s space in a way he probably thinks is very secretive, but is actually just stupid and unnecessary.  
  
Liam sighs before he rests his fork on the table and turns to Louis to glare at him. “He’s not.” He says with more strength than is needed.  
  
Louis doesn’t seem taken aback at all by Liam’s brute answer, which Liam already expected since it’s Louis and the whole world could scream at Louis to shut the hell up and it wouldn’t make an ounce of difference if Louis still had something to say.  
  
“He totally is! Just look.” Louis whispers fiercely. He kicks Liam under the table for extra encouragement.  
  
Liam ignores the tiny ray of hope that’s already starting to build inside of him at the possibility that maybe, just maybe, Louis is telling the truth and Zayn really is looking at him, for whatever reasons unknown to Liam.  
  
When Liam doesn’t seem to be about to turn his head and stare at the Ravenclaw table, where Zayn is decidedly looking at him, Louis does him what he considers to be a big favour, grabs Liam’s jaw with both his hands and shifts Liam’s head until Zayn is in the center of Liam’s vision  
  
“He’s not looking at me.” Liam says and the tiny hint of sadness in his voice is impossible to mishear. Liam doesn’t waste any more time watching Zayn very pointedly not looking at him by talking with Harry Styles, who isn’t even a Ravenclaw but seems to enjoy eating with Zayn far more than eating with his fellow snakes.  
  
“What?” Louis says, gasping like a scared blowfish when he sees Zayn’s eyes are no longer focused on his best friend. “But I swear he was looking at you just a second ago! Ugh, you two are impossible.”  
  
“He doesn’t like me,” Liam says for what has to be the hundredth time. He doesn’t know why he has to repeat himself so often to Louis, who isn’t even into romance and shouldn’t, for any normal reasons known to Liam, be so obsessed with Liam’s one-sided love life, “can’t you just let it go?”  
  
“No, no I can’t, not until you two shag and proclaim your undying love for each other.”  
  
The only reason Liam doesn’t sigh in frustration is because he’s already sighed three times since he woke up and it’s not even 9am yet, which is ridiculous, frankly, and if Liam keeps going at it this way his face is going to be covered by wrinkles before he’s hit thirty.  
  
Also, it doesn’t look good for a prefect to be sighing all the time like his life is pure hell. After all, a prefect has got to be the exact image of an intelligent, trustworthy, friendly and, most of all, responsible student. McGonagall had been very strict on that when she sent Liam a letter during the Summer telling him that he, Liam Payne, from Wolverhampton, Gryffindor at heart and soul, best friends with the school’s prankster, was going to be a prefect.  
  
Liam. A prefect.  
  
Liam still hadn’t digested it, to be honest.  
  
Louis had spent a grand total of two weeks making fun of him, Niall had gotten all teary-eyed for a second before he hugged Liam and congratulated him, his parents threw a huge party for all of the family, his sisters smiled at him with such fondness that Liam’s heart ached and still--  
  
And still--  
  
Liam just hadn’t quite captured it yet.  
  
Last night had been a mess because of it. McGonagall had called him and all the other prefects before dinner to tell them what to do, how to treat the first years and what their password was this year. To Liam though, all the words entered through one ear and left through the other like they’d never been there at all.  
  
Luckily, Eleanor, Gryffindor’s other prefect was there too, and all Liam had to do was imitate her and pretend he knew what he was doing, which, after years of friendship with Louis, who always seems to be a step in front of everyone else, wasn’t very hard to do.  
  
Still, the year was just starting and Liam had plenty of time to adjust to the fact that he’s now a bloody prefect and start doing his job right. Liam had heard something about making sure the first years were all getting along, and it seemed like the perfect excuse to ditch Louis and get back on track.  
  
“I’ve got to go.” Liam says as he stands up. Louis gives him a one hundred percent unimpressed look. “Prefect stuff, you know, making sure the first years are all set and... happy?” Liam trailed off uncertainly. The ice stare remained unfazed.  
  
“Zayn’s a prefect too. I don’t see him running off to talk to any kids.”  
  
“Well he should, because that’s his job.” Liam snaps, annoyed at Louis for bringing up Zayn every five goddamn seconds into the conversation. If Liam didn’t know any better, he’d say Louis was the one in love with Zayn, and not him.  
  
Liam does know better, unfortunately, and he knows that the one with the pathetic, one-sided, old as balls, hopeless crush on a person they’ve barely talked to is him, not Louis.  
  
Louis’ crush on Harry Styles is far more real and bound to happen, no matter how much Louis denies that he fancies Styles. Liam’s seen the looks, he’s seen the angry sparks created every time they come in contact with each other, he’s seen the eye sex, which still makes him shudder every time he thinks about it. Liam knows there’s something there and that it’s gonna happen, house rivalry or not.  
  
“He likes you back, you idiot! You just have to do something about it!” Louis decides to shout this when Liam’s already walking away, making the people in their table turn around to stare at them before they realize it’s just Louis and Liam bickering again. The sight of this is such old news that everyone turns back to their meals and conversations in less than a second.  
  
The only people who stare at Louis and Liam with shocked confusion in their eyes are the first years, who aren’t used to Louis’ antics yet and who Liam has to go talk to, which is just great. Real perfect. If Liam’s ever so lucky, which he is because he’s in Gryffindor like everybody else in his table and nobody in Gryffindor is known to have a problem with speaking their mind, the first years will ask him what that was all about.  
  
Liam’s answer will be a mix of him blushing like a tomato and stuttering, since Liam is horrible at lying. He just never got the hang of it, not even after Louis’ and Niall’s intense week of training, which mainly consisted of sending Liam on stupid errands and telling to lie through his teeth. And then, after Liam’s made an ass of himself, everyone will go their merry ways thinking Liam’s a shit prefect and McGonagall will take his prefect badge away and everyone will be disappointed and it will all be Louis’ fault.  
  
Yes. That is exactly what is going to happen.  
  
So why Liam continues walking, is a mystery to Liam himself, who really, really wants his feet to turn back now, if they didn’t mind.  
  
It probably has something to do with the piece of toast Louis just threw at him, or the thumbs up Niall is giving him all the way over from the Hufflepuff table, where he was currently stuffing his face in. Or, maybe, it is because of the way Zayn is looking at him, with a tiny hint of a smile on the corner of his lips.  
  
Liam wouldn’t know. He never catches Zayn looking at him. Zayn always makes sure of that.  
  
\-- // --  
  
Liam fell for Zayn on a monday. It was the first day of school. Not just any first day of school, THE first day, when they were all first years, overwhelmed and excited and really close to pissing their pants, away from their families for the very first time.  
  
Liam had seen Zayn on the train all alone, looking as terrified and lost as Liam felt. In an act of improvised bravery, Liam had taken a step forward towards where Zayn was to go speak to him, but before he could make any progress, two thin arms wrapped around his head at the same time as a strident voice belted into his ears. “Hi! I’m Louis! Who are you?” And that had been that.  
  
Louis had stormed his way into Liam’s life in a fraction of a second, all loud and ecstatic, a perfect opposite of Liam, who was shy and quiet and not quite sure how to deal with someone who was clearly not. Louis didn’t seem to mind this though, he’d already decided, right then and there, that he and Liam were going to be best friends, and there was never much Liam could (or wanted) to do about it.  
  
Unfortunately, this meant Liam lost sight of Zayn in the masses of boisterous students.  
  
By the time Liam saw Zayn again, they were entering the great hall in a massive single file and Zayn, who Liam only knew as the dark-haired boy with the great quiff, was busy talking to another boy with a mass of curls for hair.  
  
Zayn had been sorted into Ravenclaw -- that’s when Liam learned his name. Zayn was the last kid to be sorted, practically a shaking leaf on the chair with the sorting hat too big for his head.  
  
Liam and Louis had gone to Gryffindor, just like Liam had always dreamed of. Niall, Liam’s only childhood friend, had gone to Hufflepuff, which suited his easy-going personality just fine. The mop of curls for hair got into Slytherin, which made Louis snicker by Liam’s side.  
  
Liam tried talking to Zayn a couple of times, but they didn’t have any classes together and Louis was always with him and Liam didn’t even known how strongly he’d end up falling for Zayn. At the time, he just thought Zayn looked interesting.  
  
Maybe if Liam had known, he would have done something about it sooner, talk to Zayn before the thought of saying ‘hi’ to him turned Liam into a stuttering, babbling mess.  
  
But Liam didn’t know and quickly days turned to weeks and weeks into months and months into years and too soon, it became too late or at least, that’s what Liam used to think.  
  
\-- // --  
  
Louis is the worst kind of insistent but it’s alright because Liam’s very fond of him. Well, most of the time he is.  
  
There are other moments though, where Liam wishes nothing more but to punch Louis fair and square in the face. Liam reckons he’s not alone in this feeling. Mr. Filch has certainly demonstrated many, many times that if he could, he’d be there, holding Louis in his tiny, quaking arms for Liam to punch him.  
  
To be fair to Louis, there aren’t that many people Mr. Filch wouldn’t hold still for a good punch.  
  
This week’s ‘Annoying Thing That Louis Did Just To A) Create Havoc B) Humiliate Liam C) All of The Above’ was to push Liam (with his ass) into the empty seat next to Zayn in their Potions class.  
  
This meant Liam would most likely have to sit next to Zayn for the rest of the year since Snape didn’t take it too kindly when students started moving around in his classroom. It meant Liam was going to make an ass of himself all year. But, most importantly, it meant Liam almost fell on top of Zayn like the embarrassing snot he is underneath all that polished, boy next door look he has going on.  
  
“Oh, hey.” Zayn says with his eyebrows slightly raised. Liam can’t tell if Zayn is shocked about Liam sitting next to him or if he just wasn’t expecting 165 pounds of fresh boyhood to almost fall on him, first thing in the morning.  
  
“Hello,” Liam says, exceedingly proud of how his voice doesn’t falter in the slightest. Liam almost considers backing out, say he tripped on his own two feet and go sit in shame next to Louis but something in him -- the part that made the sorting hat put him in Gryffindor and made Liam a really great keeper and an even better dueler -- said no. It said ‘you’re not going to be a wimp anymore Liam Payne. You’re going to sit next to your crush and you’re gonna bloody well like it and you are certainly not going to, under any circumstances, make an ass of yourself.’  
  
Or, well, something along those lines.  
  
“Is this seat taken?”  
  
This time, the slight trip Zayn’s eyebrows make upward is definitely a result of surprise.  
  
“No, no, you can sit there, if you like. It’s free.”  
  
“Oh good. I’d hate to have to pay for a seat next to someone else.”  
  
The minute the sentence is out of his mouth, Liam knows he made the wrong choice. He knows, without any doubts, that he just made what he really didn’t want to: an ass of himself. Two tables away, from where he is eavesdropping, Liam can hear Louis let out an exasperated sigh. Liam’s future life flashes in front of his eyes: loneliness, devoid of any family and love, edged away from society due to his awful joke making skills that in the end, turned against their master, and made a joke out of Liam.  
  
And no one is to talk about how Liam basically admitted that he’d rather sit next to Zayn than sit next to anyone else. That is for when Liam is crying in the shower and throwing a pity party for himself with an exclusive guest list limited to him only.  
  
Against all odds though, the impossible happens and Liam’s life takes a sudden twist as it goes back on the rails and Zayn laughs. He actually, genuinely, with the corners of mouth and a little twinkle in his eyes, laughs.  
  
Liam isn’t sure what he’s supposed to do next, so he does the only rational thing he can think of: introduce himself.  
  
“I’m Liam, by the way.” He says, extending his hand for Zayn to shake.  
  
Zayn’s smile turns into a lopsided grin as he shakes Liam’s hand. “I know. I’m Zayn, but I think you already know that.” And that’s the last thing Liam gets from him before Professor Snape barges into the classroom with this air of omnipresent power that only someone who hasn’t wanked in a long time can have (Louis’ and Niall’s words, not Liam’s).  
  
The rest of the lesson goes by pretty drama free. Since it’s their first class of the year, Snape is more interested in telling them how they’re all lowly maggots compared to Slytherin, that he expects nothing less than perfection and that there won’t be, under any circumstances, any fooling around in the classroom. The last part said directly at Gryffindor, which Liam thinks is a bit mean. Fair, but mean.  
  
Zayn doesn't say anything else to Liam, although Liam is sure that Zayn is watching him out the corner of his eye from time to time. Liam can't really prove this though since whenever he looks at Zayn, he's looking at Professor Snape with the deep air of interest only a Ravenclaw could muster for such a boring speech.  
  
Besides that everything is going so well that Liam, being the innocent, sweet fellow that he is, dares to think that he's going to escape the class consequence free and that maybe, sitting next to Zayn won't be so bad after all.  
  
All of these thoughts are, sadly, turned into ash when Professor Snape announces, with a wicked laugh and a terrifying smile, that he's going to be dividing the class in pairs, according to their desks, and assigning them all research papers on some of the potions they're going to be studying this year. A research paper to be delivered next class. A research paper that needs countless hours of work at the library. A research paper that Liam and Zayn have to do together.  
  
Shit.  
  
\-- // --  
  
“Stop laughing! It’s not funny.” Liam asks, no, begs but to no avail. His friends are bastards. Mindless, satanic, barbaric bastards. Like the vikings of the north except skinnier, weaker and dumber too.  
  
“I know it’s not, mate, but your face, your freaking face.” Niall says as he showers himself in his own tears.  
  
Liam thinks right about now would be the perfect time to punch someone. Not to hurt them, not to make them shut the hell up, but as a message. A message that explicitly says, in big, bolded, italic, black words: you’re dicks.  
  
“And you should have seen him in class. He looked like he was about to have a heart attack.” Louis says, grasping Niall’s right shoulder as he tries to steady himself and avoid collapsing from laughing so hard.  
  
“It’s not funny...” Liam says, although this time it’s more of a quiet, resigned mutter than any sort of request. He’s given up already, which is quite a shame.  
  
When he was younger, Liam used to beg for hours for Louis to stop laughing at him. Now it’s five minutes before he sulks and starts eating his weight in pumpkin pie. Niall and his kitchen elf friends are terrible influences.  
  
“Anyway, what are you so upset about? You’re gonna be spending loads more time with Zayn, that should make you happy.” Niall says. He wipes away a couple of tears, steading his breathing and trying to get all the red out of his face, an impossible feat, before he digs in on his plate of chips.  
  
“Liam’s sad because he thinks he’ll make himself look stupid, which he won’t. You know you get all sexy when you’re working. It’s your hair. Your hair does everything for you.” Louis says and Liam ignores the obvious flirtation without batting an eyelash. It’s just Louis. He does comb a hand through his hair self-consciously though, unable to stop himself.  
  
“I am terrible at potions. There’s no way I’m not gonna embarrass myself in front of him.”  
  
“It will be alright, you’ll give him time to shine then. Zayn will be your knight in shiny, figurative armor.” Niall says as he snatches a pork pie from some inattentive gryffindors by their side.  
  
Liam reckons the only reason why Niall loves eating his meals at the Gryffindor table with him and Louis is because everyone’s always looking the other way, making it very easy to steal food right under their noses.  
  
“S’true, boys love to be their loves’ heroes.” Louis says, and there’s something about the way he says it, like he’s almost sad about it. Liam files the thought away for further questioning later, when there are no deadly, kitchen appliances nearby.  
  
“I’m a boy too, where’s my moment?”  
  
“Not with that hair, you aren’t...” Louis mutters, half to himself, half for everyone to hear. Liam knows it’s a joke, his hair is absolutely not that long and Louis had been the one suggesting the he kept it halfway down his forehead. Still, the next words escape past his mouth before he can do anything about them. “Hey! You said you liked my hair.”  
  
“I didn’t say I liked it, just said it made you look sexy.” Louis corrects with a little putt putt. “Anyway, stop worrying, it’ll be fine. Zayn already loves you. All you need to do is plant one on him and you’ll live happily ever after.”  
  
Liam shakes his head and doesn’t look at the Ravenclaw table to see if Zayn’s there (because he already did it earlier and saw that he wasn’t). He’s come to the realization that his friends aren’t just dicks. They’re unhelpful dicks.  
  
This is much, much worse, especially now that Liam desperately needs advice that he knows he’s not gonna get.  
  
\-- // --  
  
They start working on their paper that night.  
  
He sees Zayn again in one of the hallways in his way to Transfiguration class, and Zayn flashes him a soft smile that makes Liam’s stomach turn over itself uncomfortably before he stops Liam.  
  
“Hey Liam, do you have plans for tonight?”  
  
Liam’s brain doesn’t jump to any date-like scenarios. It doesn’t because Liam’s not that sort of guy. Immediately, Liam’s brain puts itself to good use and starts thinking of rational scenarios related to work and school and stupid potions class.  
  
Okay. Maybe he does think about dates and kissing Zayn and sneaking out to Hogsmeade, but only a little.  
  
“No, no, I’m free, totally free. Why do you ask?”  
  
“I was thinking we could meet up at the library after dinner before it closes. For the research paper?” Liam finds himself nodding to Zayn’s request before he even gives himself a chance to think Zayn’s words through. He has always been weirdly good at making decisions on his feet and dealing with them later.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, that's alright with me, yeah." Liam mentally slaps himself for sounding like a fool, but he also can't help patting himself on the back for the little laugh Zayn lets out that makes Liam's heart ache in the most bittersweet way.  
  
"Perfect. See you then." Zayn says before he's off. Liam watches him disappear into the crowd of hurried students like a lovesick teenager for two point seven seconds, before he remembers class has already started and Louis is probably waiting for him.  
  
Nevertheless, Liam doesn't feel bad for getting a disapproving stink eye from McGonagall when he shows up five minutes late. He doesn't feel bad because he got Zayn to smile at him, just him, and Liam doesn't think he's ever seen a prettier sight.  
  
\-- // --  
  
Throughout dinner, Liam looks at the Ravenclaw table a total of thirty-four times. Every time, he searches for Zayn's distinguible quiff and ignores the tiny flame of jealousy in the pit of his stomach when he notices Harry Styles' famous curls. He knows there's nothing there, Harry has a past history of shagging more than half the school and the looks he gives Louis when he thinks no one is looking could make the manliest of men blush but still.  
  
There's always that doubt, that doubt of what if he's taken, what if he hates me, what if he's straight, what if he doesn't want anything like that with me. What if, what if, what if.  
  
There are always far too many 'what if's for Liam's liking.  
  
They're such pointless things though. The nagging doubts, the impossible speculations, the flick of insecurities they create -- they're all useless and stupid and completely un-gryffindor like. This is why Liam ignores them and focuses on the present moment, on what he can see and what he can't, and right now, he can't see Zayn.  
  
Which means Zayn’s going to be at the library any time now, which means Liam’s gonna be late, which means fuck, gotta finish the roast beef.  
  
Taking inspiration in Niall’s eating habits, Liam forces down the last part of his meal like a true champ, surprising everyone at his table, who stare at him with a mix of shock and admiration.  
  
“Whoa buddy. Take it slow, there’s no food marathon today.” Louis claps a hand on Liam’s back just as Liam is standing up, looking at Liam with soft fondness in his eyes.  
  
“...there’s a food marathon on other days though?” Niall asks with his mouth full, attention spiked.  
  
Louis doesn’t bother replying, leveling Niall with one of his ‘I can’t believe you just said that’ stares before turning to where Liam’s already marching off.  
  
“Why are you such in a hurry?” Louis asks far too loudly.  
  
“Just remembered I forgot something!”  
  
Liam thinks he hears Louis ask what he forgot, but in the midst of the great hall madness, it’s hard to distinguish any voices from far away. And anyway, even if Liam had heard Louis properly, he still wouldn't have replied, since no made-up on the spot lie from him would extinguish Louis’ curiosity.  
  
So Liam just keeps walking calmly, looking straight ahead the whole time, until he’s out of Louis’ and Niall’s eyesight. That’s when he legs it.  
  
Quidditch practice twice a week means it only takes Liam a solid five minutes to climb up the seemingly infinite staircases leading to Gryffindor’s common room on the seventh bloody floor. When Liam gets there, the Fat Lady gives Liam a disapproving look reserved only for the men that, in her dearest opinion, are the dirtiest, filthiest of them all.  
  
Liam discovered the meaning of this look one unfortunate evening after exploring the castle with Louis and getting trapped in a dusty, smelly, frankly appalling, old closet. Their state after they managed to get out of the damn place was, to put it quite simply, disgusting and the Fat Lady had no quarrels in telling them that.  
  
She also had no quarrels in refusing to let them in, claiming their rotten shoes would stain everything. Liam and Louis spent more than two hours sweet talking to her, trying to get her to open the door, but she wouldn’t budge and in the end, they had to spend the night in the boy’s toilet on the fourth floor. Something Liam hopes he never has to repeat.  
  
“Snail jellybeans.” Liam leans against the nearest wall to catch his breath at the same time as he speaks.  
  
“What’s gotten into you, boy?”  
  
Liam ignores her question. He knows she can’t be trusted when it comes to keeping secrets. Instead, he just repeats himself, eloquently and with the biggest poker face he can make. “Snail jellybeans.”  
  
Staring down at Liam with the perfect air of old, bored monarchy, the Fat Lady opens the door. Liam hears her mutter about their ridiculous password as he crosses the common room, and despite agreeing with her, he still thinks it’s a major improvement from last year’s ‘soiled pants’.  
  
It takes Liam no time to grab his Potions book, a bunch of parchment and his favorite quill before he’s out and about in the cold hallways of Hogwarts again. Taking a shortcut Niall had taught Liam and Louis the first month after meeting them, Liam gets to the library in just a couple of minutes.  
  
Zayn is, as expected, already waiting for him near one of the small tables hidden in the back. Scattered across the whole table are various, far too big to be normal, if admitted with honesty - a bit scary, leather-bound books that range from ‘Know Your Potions From A - Z’ and ‘The Mystical and The Unforgiving: A Guide To All Poisons and Malices’.  
  
“Whoa.” Is the first thing Liam says when he gets within Zayn’s earshot, trying to convey his shock without sounding too dumb.  
  
Zayn flashes him a tight, ‘I’m sorry’ smile that kind of makes Liam want to hug him until they die. “Snape wasn’t kidding when he said we’d be shit out of luck to find more information on some of these potions.”  
  
Liam nods in understanding. Knowing Snape, he probably checked out all the useful books before the term started so everyone would get an F but his precious Slytherins, who he would give a much easier task to.  
  
“Have you been here for long?” Liam asks when he sees Zayn’s already scribbled down a bunch of things.  
  
“No, just a couple of minutes.” Zayn looks around the table before he picks up one of the smaller books. “Can you check this one for...” he looks down at his notes, “Magpie’s Secret to Beautiful Youth and...” another look down, “why it’s apparently complete crap?”  
  
“Can do.” Liam says and just like that, they’ve set up an easy rhythm of Zayn handing Liam books and naming potions for Liam to check, while Zayn does the same.  
  
For a while, Liam entertains a funny, little thought in which he and Zayn finish their bloody paper on time and get an A from a reluctant Snape. This, in turn, would make Zayn see Liam in a whole new, deeply impressive, wonderful light, which would somehow make things work between the two of them.  
  
There’s the slight chance that Liam missed a couple of steps from B to C, but everyone knows the fine details don’t make a grand plan. The main idea is there, anyway: Zayn will be so impressed by Liam’s impressive skills at writing tedious papers and his gorgeous penmanship that he just won’t have any chance between falling and not falling in love with Liam.  
  
It doesn’t take Liam long to figure out his crazy thought process is a sure sign that he’s been spending far too much time in Louis’ ridiculous company for his own good. It’s also a sure sign that Liam’s head over heels in love with Zayn and being in Zayn’s close proximity is messing up with his brain.  
  
Even though Liam’s given a whole new meaning to ‘lost in your own thoughts’, his quill never stops scratching rough words onto his piece of parchment, collecting information on Bulgeid’s Fragrance of Sadness and O'Connell's Love in a Bottle at the same time as he wonders what Zayn’s skin smells like.  
  
It is only when Mrs. Prince stops by their table and lets out a practiced cough, signalling without words that the library is about to close and they need to leave, that Liam stops writing to realize they haven’t even gone through half the books laid out on the table.  
  
Bloody hell, they’ve barely covered a third. Oh Liam is totally saying ‘yes’ next time Louis asks him if he wants to play a prank on the Slytherins. He most definitely is.  
  
Zayn, almost like he’s subconsciously linked to Liam’s brain, says what Liam is thinking, right down to the exact same words. “Shit. We’re screwed.”  
  
Liam nods, staring grimly out the window, where dark sky has already spread itself until the horizon and the moon has made its stop for the night.  
  
“This thing is due on friday, isn’t it?” Liam asks in a blank voice despite already knowing the answer.  
  
“Yes. We could try finishing tomorrow?”  
  
“I have quidditch practice. Thursday?”  
  
“Charms Club meeting.”  
  
They stare in silence at nothing in particular after that. Liam can’t speak for Zayn, but his brain is running wild, trying to figure out a way they can make this work because he can’t fail his first Potions assignment, especially not when his partner is Zayn. That’d be beyond pathetic.  
  
They could take some of books and work during their small breaks, although first week is always a bit chaotic and Liam can’t imagine himself finding the time to do anything in between figuring out where Classroom B17a)2 is and helping out the first years. After Quidditch practice is also no good due to Liam’s perfect duties; he has to ‘patrol’ the castle for two hours with Maggie from Hufflepuff. And that wouldn’t work anyway because they’d have nowhere to go to.  
  
“We could...” Zayn begins, trailing off into silence as he’s gnaws his bottom lip and seems to consider his options.  
  
“Yes?” Liam asks, staring at Zayn right in eye and regretting it when he notices how close they actually are and how Zayn’s eyelashes seem to be miles long and Liam could definitely count them if he just leaned forward a little bit and...  
  
“I know a place,” Zayn says, a bit uncertainly, “where we could go. To finish this, I mean. We could take the books and work there?”  
  
Once again, Liam is nodding before Zayn’s finished speaking. He makes the look of worry in Zayn’s face disappear almost instantly, replaced by an easy smile Liam’s starting to grow accustomed to and that-- that is big, probably, yeah.  
  
Liam can’t tell, it’s his first time doing this ‘love’ thing and all, but he reckons the way Zayn’s smile is quickly working its way into becoming a permanent fixture in Liam’s memory qualifies as ‘big’.  
  
Zayn is the one sorting their books as he decides which ones they should take and which they shouldn’t. Liam’s more than thankful when Zayn doesn’t pick ‘A Universal Guide to Potion Making’; just the thought of carrying around the leather-bound, 500 pages, smelly old book makes Liam’s back ache.  
  
Sweet talking Mrs. Prince into letting them take more books than they’re allowed turns out to be surprisingly easy. Liam reckons it’s something to do with Zayn’s captivating smile and the way the librarian seems to melt under Zayn’s attentive gaze, but he’s not about to make wild accusations.  
  
“So, where are we going exactly?” Liam asks when they’re crossing the staircase leading to the sixth floor. He can’t say he’s tired, not with the beating Quidditch usually takes on him, but he’d certainly fancy a good chair and a cup of tea right about now.  
  
“We’re almost there.”  
  
They walk in companionable silence for a couple more minutes before they reach an empty corridor on the seventh floor.  
  
“This is it.” Zayn says. He looks a bit nervous, like he’s afraid of Liam’s reaction, but Liam still thinks if it weren’t for all the books Zayn’s arms are currently holding, he’d be spreading them in a grand gesture while saying ‘Tadaah!’  
  
Liam takes a full, 360 degrees turn. “...here where exactly? Behind Barnabas’ tapestry? Because last time me and Louis checked, there was nothing there.”  
  
“We have to walk past this corridor three times, while thinking of the room we need.” At the look of suspicious disbelief written all over Liam’s face, Zayn quickly adds, “Just -- amuse me?”  
  
Liam, not being one hundred percent sure what exactly he should be imagining, thinks of a nice, cozy room with big sofas and a warm fireplace. He tries to think harder, if that’s somehow even possible, when he notices the look of extreme concentration Zayn has going on.  
  
Walking three times across the same empty corridor is a bit bizarre, but by far not the most bizarre thing Liam’s done. It’s not like Liam doesn’t believe in Zayn -- this is Hogwarts, anything could happen.  
  
This is why Liam isn’t really surprised when a massive door turns up out of nowhere and fills the previously devoid of any bloody big doors wall.  
  
Liam does let out a little wolf whistle though, unable to stop himself because hot damn, that is a damn big door. Normally, secret doors are tiny, hidden behind paintings and tapestries, not blaring in your face in five tons of wood and steel.  
  
“Told you,” is the only thing Zayn says before he opens one of the doors and steps in, leaving Liam to follow him.  
  
The inside of the room is, against all odds, a bit like Liam expected him to be. For one, there are two velvet, red sofas near an already working fireplace, exactly like Liam had imagined. There’s also a coffee table and a couple of empty bookshelves, as well as random paintings and banners Liam’s never seen before.  
  
“How did you find this place?” Liam asks as he looks around the room.  
  
Zayn’s already settling himself comfortably on one of the couches, leaning against it as he makes the joints in his back pop. “Do you remember Binns’ horrible exam at the end of third year? The one with all stuff from first and second year that everyone was terrified about?”  
  
Liam does. That had been one of the worst weeks of his life. Binns had announced, out of freaking thin air, that their last exam was going to be worth fifty percent of their final grade and include things from the years before. Liam will never forget how his heart nearly stopped, how all the blood drained out of Louis’ face and how the laughter died in the back of Niall’s throat when Binns had uttered those awful, sentencing words.  
  
He spent a whole week cramming for the damn exam, forcing his friends to stay with him in the library and at least look at the books, instead of wandering around doing whatever they did when Liam’s otherwise busy.  
  
“I was sort of having a heart attack before the test,” Zayn says with a little laugh that does things to Liam’s poor heart, “so I came up here to try to wind down. I was pacing in front of the room, thinking about home and how I wished I could just go there for a minute and see my family again. Next thing I knew, the door was there and inside was an almost exact copy of my bedroom.”  
  
“Next time I showed up, the room was just an empty classroom. That’s when I figured out you have to think about something specific that you really need. Otherwise it doesn’t work.”  
  
Liam’s brain burns a couple of brain cells trying to process everything Zayn has just said, as well as trying to somehow act normal despite the fact that Zayn has just obviously told him something quite personal.  
  
It’s a tough job, but Liam manages it. “And it just turns to anything you want? Whoa. This is quite possibly the coolest room in Hogwarts.”  
  
“Yup, it doesn’t make food though, probably because of Gamp’s Law of Elemental Transfiguration.”  
  
“Alright, maybe not so cool then.” Liam says while thinking that a cup of tea with two sugar cubes and a biscuit would be a gift from the heavens.  
  
Zayn laughs at Liam’s joke, which is really not that much of a joke, and Liam feels proud of himself despite also feeling a bit silly. He just made Zayn laugh, not that much of a big deal.  
  
Except for the way it totally is.  
  
This time, when they get back to work, they’re a bit slower, thoughts slushed by the sleepiness quickly settling behind their eyelids. Liam finds himself slipping off every now and then as time progresses; he didn’t even do anything super tiring that day, but the first days of school always seemed to take an extra beating out of him.  
  
If the way Zayn’s lets out a yawn around half past nine is of any indicator, he probably feels the same way.  
  
Still, tiredness or not, they plough through.  
  
There’s a very high chance Snape doesn’t actually expect anyone to finish his stupid assignment, which just gives Liam a bigger reason to continue working since Liam has always loved proving people wrong. That and he can’t disappoint Zayn.  
  
It’s because of this that they only finish working after midnight, and even though every cell in Liam’s body is screaming for a well earned rest, his efforts will be more than worth it come Thursday morning when he and Zayn deliver their paper.  
  
It’s also undoubtedly worth it because it means that at least, Liam can say he’s talked to Zayn more than five times and his crush isn’t as pathetic anymore.  
  
\-- // --  
  
They get an A(-).  
  
It’s the A only in the class and Snape makes a biting remark about how Zayn was probably the one doing most of the work, which earns him a well-constructed, levelled answer from Zayn telling him Liam worked as much as he did. Snape doesn’t reply to that and neither does Liam, whose throat sort of collapses on him as the urge to hug Zayn drowns out everything else.  
  
Zayn also gives him a high five and says he and Liam should partner up from now on, if Liam would like that, of course, and Liam doesn’t even think twice when he says yes, he’d very much love that.  
  
And on that moment, everything’s great, everything’s freaking amazing and the best part, the part that Liam doesn’t know yet, is that it’s just the beginning.  
  
\-- // --  
  
Zayn shows up at Liam’s next Quidditch practice with a book and cheers whenever Liam stops a Quaffle.  
  
Liam doesn’t really know what to make of it.  
  
His brain is telling him that there’s a very basic, logical answer most likely related to Zayn fancying the idea of spending an afternoon in the chilly September air watching a bunch of teenagers play Quidditch, rather than Zayn wanting to watch Liam play Quidditch.  
  
It’s not that the first hypothesis makes more sense than the second (because it doesn’t. Liam’s never seen Zayn demonstrate more than a mild interest in Quidditch, and he’s seen a lot of Zayn), it’s just that Liam can’t quite wrap his head around the funny little concept that Zayn is there because of him.  
  
He just can’t. The thought just doesn’t fit inside his head. It’s too big and too scary and too overwhelmingly hopeful for Liam to compute.  
  
It doesn’t help by a long shot that Louis is waiting for Liam by the locker rooms with a raised eyebrow that says more than words ever could.  
  
“Are you going to talk to him?” He asks and Liam wants to say ‘no’ but knows he’d never dare to.  
  
That’s the thing about Liam. He’s in love; he’s stupidly, dramatically, terribly in love and he’s still in that space, that area where there’s a fifty/fifty chance that his feelings are somehow reciprocated, but also where fifty/fifty never seems to be enough.  
  
Unlike many other lovesick teenagers though, Liam’s a Gryffindor. He’s brave when he shouldn’t and reckless despite its dangers and even though he’s afraid of getting his heart crushed, Liam can’t stand the thought of not talking to Zayn when Zayn came to see him.  
  
So he goes, tries to play it cool in his head, doesn’t overthink it until he’s in the stands, just a couple of meters away from Zayn and Zayn flashes Liam a billion watts smile.  
  
Liam isn’t sure what to say. ‘What are you doing here?’ sounds too aggressive but ‘Did you come to see me play?’ is too risky, so he settles for silence and sits next to Zayn and waits for Zayn to say something.  
  
“I...” Zayn begins to say before he stops. It’s then that Liam notices he’s trembling. It’s not a visible, ‘frozen from my toes to the tip of ears because it’s so damn cold’ tremble, more of a ‘I’ve never been so nervous in my life’ tremble, which makes Liam ask,  
  
“Are you alright? Is there something wrong?”  
  
“Hum? No, no, everything’s fine. I was just wondering if you’d like to goonadatewithmetohogsmeadenextweekend?”  
  
Now Liam, he’s not a man of few words. He’s not a big talker either, but he likes to consider himself acquainted enough with the English language to always have an easy answer at hand. Right now though? Right now he’s speechless.  
  
Part of him wants to ask Zayn to repeat himself just to make sure he’s got it right, but another part doesn’t think he could ever mishear the sentence ‘would you like to go on a date with me?’ coming from Zayn’s mouth.  
  
It’s excused to say that Liam’s brain sort of goes haywire. His thoughts become a jumbled mess and he can’t figure out a way to say ‘yes yes YES!’ without sounding like a mental patient and he’s shaking, palms sweating as blood flies at a thousand miles an hour towards his cheeks. Liam needs a moment, he definitely needs a moment to just breathe and think and breathe again but out of the corner of his eye he can see Zayn’s slowly moving away from him, a nervous, fake smile already playing on his lips and no, Liam can’t have that.  
  
“Yes, I’d love to, I mean, yes. Definitely, yes.”  
  
Zayn’s reaction is quite positively the best thing Liam’s ever seen. He lets out a true, kid on Christmas morning smile that practically makes Liam swoon and feel like a maiden being courted by the fairest prince.  
  
“Yeah?” Zayn asks and Liam can see hints of worry behind the giddy smile still plastered all over his face, which just makes Liam want to kiss him forever and say some really embarrassing things.  
  
Luckily, he has enough judgement to reply with something a bit more dignified. “Yeah, a date. I’d love to, definitely.”  
  
Zayn laughs and Liam laughs and it’s a bit awkward but also very nice and the butterflies in Liam’s stomach throw a party with maracas and confetti.  
  
\-- // --  
  
The rest of the week goes by in a daze. Sometimes time seems to fly by, others it slows down to the pace of a lazy tortoise. But for the most part, Liam feels like he’s in cloud nine.  
  
Louis takes the mickey out of him and Niall tells him he’s the man. Liam rather doubts that since the only thing he did was say ‘yes’, but he takes the compliment anyway because at this point, there’s really not much else he can do.  
  
He and Zayn sit closer during Potions and every so often Zayn will slip him a shy smile whenever he catches Liam’s eyes. Liam then blushes, smiles back and looks the other way because he thinks he’s going to start vomiting soon if Zayn doesn’t stop turning his world upside down every two minutes.  
  
Oh and he’s happy. Like, really, really happy. In fact, Liam even dares to say that he is one hundred percent -- excuse his french -- fucking ecstatic.  
  
Throughout the whole week, his brain tries to find ways to kill the stupid, bubbling hope building inside of him by telling itself that Zayn was joking or that Liam misheard him, but nothing works. Nothing kills Liam’s mood or make him anticipate Saturday any less.  
  
He’s also quite nervous. And anxious. And terrified. And scared that he’s gonna mess everything up. And unsure of what he should wear.  
  
But, you know, he’s happy.  
  
\-- // --  
  
“What am I going to wear? Louis you’ve got to help me, please.” Liam begs, without the slightest hint of shame in his voice because fuck, he’s screwed.  
  
They’re leaving for Hogsmeade in half an hour and not only has he no idea what he should wear, but he’s also vomited twice already, which is just not good, at all.  
  
Louis gives him this ‘you are so incredibly lucky to have me’ look that makes Liam feel a bit undignified, but gets up from his four-poster bed where he’s been lounging and watching Liam have a mental breakdown, so Liam doesn’t care the least bit.  
  
“You look good in Autumn clothes, so we’re definitely going with that. Where’s your black overcoat? It’d make a good match with your Gryffindor scarf.”  
  
In just a couple of seconds, Louis has got an whole outfit prepared for Liam, which he promptly hands over before sending Liam in the direction of the bathroom.  
  
Liam avoids looking at the mirror, afraid that he’s going to start over thinking everything again, and fixes his hair with the help of his reflection on the doorknob.  
  
“Why are you dressed so fancy?” Is what Liam asks when he comes out of the bathroom. Louis has changed his clothes and is now wearing his favorite pair of black jeans that, in his own words, make his ass look bloody fantastic. He’s also wearing a Gryffindor scarf like Liam and a shirt that is two sizes too small.  
  
“I’m not.” Louis says and even though his voice is only one octave higher, years of friendship have made Liam accurately aware of all of Louis’ moods. Also, Louis once told him that he hates wearing scarves and only does it when he wants to impress someone or remind them who they’re dealing with.  
  
Regardless, the last thing Liam wants right now is to call Louis out on his lie and start a fight, so he decides to drop the subject and focus on what really matters right now: getting his stomach contents to calm down and behave before he throws up all over himself, or worse, throws up on Zayn.  
  
Now that would be pretty damn awful. Not to mention traumatizing and painful too. Liam would probably have to move to the Alps afterwards, where he could live alone, on the edge of human society, until his last, dying breath. That’s the sort of shame only people who couldn’t care less what people think, like Niall, can get back on their feet from and Liam? Liam is no Niall.  
  
This thought is, out of the blue and a bit ridiculously, very frightening to Liam, whose mind is currently going on overdrive.  
  
“C’mon, now is not the time to be frozen in fear.” Louis says when he notices that Liam has no indication whatsoever of moving from his place near the bathroom door. The look of pure dread in Liam’s eyes isn’t helping the situation either.  
  
Louis takes a couple of steps towards Liam until they’re standing face to face and he can put his hands on Liam’s shoulders in a solemn, reassuring gesture. “Liam, you’re going to do fine. Zayn was the one that asked you out, that means he fancies you. There is no way you can mess this up, alright?”  
  
“Yeah?” Liam asks, although who he is asking he’s not very sure. “Yeah, okay, I can do this. He likes me? Yeah.”  
  
And even though Liam is making very little sense, Louis still rolls with it like the amazing best friend that he is.  
  
“Absolutely, now let’s go, don’t wanna keep the love of your life waiting.”  
  
Together, Liam and Louis walk side by side down the corridors of Hogwarts. Although the second they reach the courtyard, Louis is gone, off to see someone Liam isn’t supposed to know about, apparently.  
  
Liam allows himself a moment of irrational anger at his friend’s stubbornness, but the feeling quickly dissipates when he sees Zayn walking towards with this huge smile on his face that Liam can’t help reciprocating. He’s wearing this big, puffy, dark blue jacket that makes his eyes stand out and isn’t much unlike Liam’s own. Zayn also has his hair down for the first time Liam’s ever seen, the remarkable quiff gone to make way for unkempt bangs. All together, he looks like a Greek God straight out of the fashion catalogue.  
  
Or, to put it in more explicit words: Zayn looks really, really good.  
  
Liam doesn’t mean to blurt out these words, but that doesn’t stop them from slipping past his lips anyway.  
  
“You look wonderful.” Is what actually comes out and Liam’s embarrassment is more than worth it for the way Zayn blushes and bashfully shies away from Liam’s eyes.  
  
“Thank you. You look lovely, too.” Zayn says before he grins and turns to the exit, where everyone is already walking to. “Shall we go?”  
  
For a little while, Liam isn’t sure if they’re on a date or not. He feels like they’re on a date, he’s quite sure what he agreed to was a date, although he’d probably agree to anything Zayn asked him, but nothing is blatantly screaming ‘this is a date!!’ at him, which Liam somehow expected.  
  
Liam is not exactly sure what he’s searching for, but all throughout their conversation about England’s chances of winning the world cup next summer, Liam can’t help hoping for something to reassure him that he hasn’t been fooling himself all week. That this isn’t just two friends going to Hogsmeade together. That this is a real, proper date.  
  
Liam’s awaited reassurance comes in the form of Zayn slipping his hand in between Liam’s own and squeezing it just as they’re nearing Honeydukes. Most likely, Zayn doesn’t wish to lose Liam in the madness of sugar deprived students waiting for the fix, but all Liam can think about is how Zayn’s fingers seem to fit perfectly between his and how Zayn’s skin burns cold against his.  
  
It makes Liam think in a single, black on white sentence, ‘alright, this is a date then.’  
  
“Name your favorite three.” Zayn asks when they’re inside, pointing to the walls full of every single candy a kid could ever wish for.  
  
Liam’s answer doesn’t require any second thoughts and takes less than a heartbeat to formulate. “Shock-O-Chocs, Crystallized Pineapples and Fizzing Whizzles.”  
  
Zayn gives him a tiny nod before he’s heading towards the counter, leaving Liam to himself for a couple of minutes before he comes back with two bags full of candy. More specifically, full of Liam’s favorite candies.  
  
“Oh wow, you didn’t have to do that...” Liam says, a bit overwhelmed by Zayn’s actions.  
  
Zayn just shrugs, like him buying all of Liam’s favorite Honeyduke candy and then some others is not a big deal. And maybe it’s not, but to Liam, it feels like it’s massive.  
  
After that they go to The Three Broomsticks, which is already packed with students laughing and talking with each other so loudly that Liam has no idea how he and Zayn will be able to talk properly.  
  
“Find us a table?” Liam asks over the noise.  
  
Zayn nods and turns away, but not before grabbing a handful of shock-o-chocs and putting them in Liam’s hand. “For the trip.” He says and then he’s off, slipping by crowded tables exuberant students with an agility Liam didn’t even know he had and leaving Liam feeling more like a love struck fool than he normally did.  
  
It takes Liam a while to get his drinks from the bar, and even longer to get to Zayn, who found them a tiny, reclused table near the back.  
  
They talk about Hogwarts at first. The classes they’re taking and the ones they want to take next year. Liam tells Zayn he wants to be an Auror but isn’t sure if he’s going to get all the necessary OWLS. Zayn tells him he’ll make an amazing auror and Liam smiles for five minutes straight after that. Zayn talks about his muggle family and Liam listens with rapid attention, curious about all the funny, little muggle inventions he’s only ever heard stories about. Zayn promises he’ll show them to Liam one day.  
  
Zayn asks Liam when the Quidditch season in Hogwarts is going to start and if Liam’s excited, which prompts Liam on a ten-minute ramble about his favorite sport. To compensate, he lets Zayn tell him everything he wants about Charms Club.  
  
They both get milk moustaches from their butterbeers and they both laugh at each other like they're in some kind of private joke and Liam resists the urge to lick Zayn's off, although not by much. Some people stare, but most don't even notice the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw fifth years sitting in the back and leaning against each other as they talk.  
  
"Want to go for a walk?" Zayn asks after they finish their second round of drinks. They've been talking incessantly for what feels like hours and Liam is amazed at how they have yet to run out of things to say, but he's even more surprised at how comfortable it is to talk to Zayn.  
  
He feels like he's known Zayn for his whole life, which, from a certain perspective, he almost has since childhood memoirs are far and scarce compared to all the bright Hogwarts memories which Zayn has alway been part of.  
  
The way Liam feels is more than that though. Liam feels like he has always known Zayn, even before he knew himself or the world. Like they've always been destined to meet, tied to both ends of the same string, waiting to connect.  
  
Liam suggests they go see the Shrieking Shack. He's never been one to pass a good chance of adventure, even if a not so tiny part of him wishes Liam listened to common sense every now and then and stayed away from stupid danger.  
  
Zayn doesn't seem very inclined to accept Liam's suggestion, but he does it anyway, probably just waiting to indulge Liam. The love Liam feels from Zayn bursts into a violent, red flame then and makes everything but Zayn disappear from Liam's vision.  
  
It’s a bit terrifying for Liam to know that he’s capable of such strong feelings, but also, at the exact same time, it’s one of the most exciting feelings he’s ever experienced.  
  
“Don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.” Liam ends up saying to comfort Zayn, whispering the words against the hot skin beneath Zayn’s left ear. This time Liam is the one sliding his cold fingers between Zayn’s and it’s oh, so worth it for the way Zayn smiles against the lapels of his coat.  
  
Liam’s in the midst of telling Zayn how he’s actually never been inside Shrieking Shack since he and Louis never found a decent entry, when he gets hit in the back of his head with something wet.  
  
“What the--” Liam manages to get out before a flurry of snowballs descend upon him and Zayn with the force of a bloody cannon balls.  
  
Zayn’s the one dragging them to cover behind an old bark tree as Liam thinks, very loudly and very angrily inside his head, that he’s most definitely going to hit someone today and he already has an inkling on who that someone might be.  
  
“I think it’s Harry and your mate, Louis.”  
  
Ah, yes, exactly who Liam expected.  
  
Over the years Liam has learned that it’s physically impossible for Louis to resist his inner urge to destroy pretty things. He just can’t handle it. Give Louis a perfectly nice, happy, calm moment and you’ll be the cause of great madness and havoc. It’s how life goes.  
  
“I can’t believe they’re hitting us with snowballs. It hasn’t even started snowing yet.” Zayn says and Liam thinks that Zayn is never going to utter those words again if he starts hanging out with Louis.  
  
“I can.”  
  
Liam turns over and leans across the old tree’s roots to get a better shot of where Louis and Harry are, but the minute his head pokes out, another swarm of snowballs is sent their way, and Liam barely has time to hide next to Zayn before the snow reaches them.  
  
“I have a plan,” Liam says.  
  
“What?”  
  
“We’re going to fight fire with fire, or, snow in this case.”  
  
Zayn stares at Liam like he’s grown an extra head for a full minute, but stops once Liam has his wand out and is making an aguamenti spell. Then, the look of confusion in Zayn’s face quickly shifts into one of delighted enthusiasm. It doesn’t take them long to have their own personal mountain of snowballs, Liam making the water and Zayn freezing them.  
  
“Ready?” Liam asks when he thinks they have enough to kick Louis and Harry’s ass and make them beg for mercy.  
  
“What’s our battle plan?”  
  
Like any great leader, Liam looks out into the open space as he thinks of a plan for them, making sure to squint his eyes and stroke his non-existent beard as he rakes his brain for something to say besides ‘run, throw snowballs, don’t get hit’. In the end, he doesn’t quite figure out anything else, but he does find a way to make his answer sound fancier.  
  
“You take the right, I take the left. Try to aim as best as you can without getting hit. We’ll meet by that tree over there.” Liam says as he points to a tree a good ten meters away from them, right in front of where he thinks their ‘enemies’ are. “On three?”  
  
Zayn nods and then they’re both grabbing their respective pile of snowballs and Liam is counting down the numbers and before they know it they’re in snow hell.  
  
See, Liam’s plan wasn’t a bad one, and it totally would have worked if Louis and Harry had been armed with normal snowballs, which until that point Liam was quite certain they were. Apparently, they have a snow cannon though. An actual, goddamn cannon, made out of snow, that creates huge snowballs the size of a troll’s head and fires them faster than a Nimbus 2000.  
  
It’s sort of a wonder how Liam and Zayn survive the attack and manage to get to the tree without any body parts flying off.  
  
“That... was unexpected.” Liam says before he dissolves into giggles. Zayn is laughing along with him, leaning against Liam until their faces are almost touching and their breathes mingle together and Liam thinks he could definitely count Zayn’s eyelashes if he tried.  
  
Their laughter dies too soon as they stare at each other’s eyes, exactly like in the movies, and Liam’s beginning to wonder what Zayn’s lips taste like, if they taste like the candy they’ve spent all morning eating or the butterbeer they drank back in the pub, when Zayn turns his face away and lets out a tiny sneeze.  
  
“Are you cold?” Liam asks but doesn’t give Zayn time to answer before he’s sitting up and taking off his Gryffindor scarf. He wraps it all the way around Zayn’s neck and his mouth, pushing the it down with the tips of his fingers until Zayn’s mouth appears behind the red and gold fabric.  
  
“Thanks.” Zayn says and Liam can’t tell if it’s from the cold or not, but his cheeks are all of the sudden bright red. Liam reckons a similar colour must be now covering his.  
  
Their faces are still far too close for Liam’s brain to work properly and the lights of ‘good sense’ and ‘fear’ are flickering off to give space to the lights of ‘hope’ and ‘desire’ and kissing Zayn is sounding like a better option by the second.  
  
It’s on the exact second that Liam thinks ‘what the hell’ that another one of Louis and Harry’s snowballs hits the tree behind them, making a bunch of leaves fall on top of Liam and Zayn and ruining the moment in that terrific, mind blowing way that only a Slytherin and a Gryffindor combined could muster.  
  
Just like that, Liam’s brain and all of its tiny, annoying components are working full speed again and Liam is on his feet before he’s even aware of his muscles working. Zayn’s thoughts seem to follow Liam’s and then someone’s saying “we should go,” and Liam can tell if it’s him or Zayn but it doesn’t matter because they’re walking away from the tree and the melting snow and it’s like nothing ever happened between the two of them.  
  
Just like that the moment is gone and with it all of the cozy laughter and warm touches and sly smiles from their date. Just like that it feels like they’re not on a date anymore, and Liam isn’t sure how that works, just knows that it happened and he can’t fix it.  
  
They wave Harry and Louis off and walk side by side at a respectable distance and Liam curses himself mentally all the way back to Hogwarts, where he and Zayn go their own ways.  
  
It’s not until Liam’s back in the Gryffindor dormitory, that he realizes he forgot to ask Zayn for his scarf back.  
  
\-- // --  
  
On Sunday Liam refuses to get out of bed.  
  
Louis apologizes a thousand times and brings him breakfast in bed and Niall to cheer him up and coos him with every single thing he can think of that Liam likes, expecting at least some sort of reaction from Liam but none of it works.  
  
Liam doesn’t want to get out of bed. He doesn’t want to risk seeing Zayn in the corridors because frankly, he feels like a great, fat turd, and great, fat turds deserve to be alone in their suffering.  
  
\-- // --  
  
On Monday Liam manages to avoid talking to anyone and hides in dark corners the whole day until he can hide back in his bed.  
  
It’s impressive, but also kind of sad, how Liam can make himself disappear so easily and it makes him wonder if anyone else is doing it too.  
  
He hopes not. It’s very, very lonely to be alone in the dark.  
  
\-- // --  
  
On Tuesday morning, Liam is feeling a bit better. He thinks he didn’t have much of a choice there though, Liam has never been the sort of person who holds on to negative thoughts.  
  
Instead, he always tries to move on and think of other things. In this case, the other things Liam thinks of is what is going to happen when he and Zayn meet in potions class.  
  
He worries about it while he’s showering and he worries while he’s dressing himself and he can’t find his tie and he worries all throughout breakfast.  
  
In fact, Liam worries about what’s going to happen in potions class so much that he doesn’t even notice Zayn walking determinedly towards him until Zayn is gripping his arm and pulling them into the nearest, empty classroom.  
  
“What?” Liam manages to say before Zayn is closing the door and shoving Liam against it without any care or pretense and then they’re kissing and Liam discovers Zayn’s lips taste like the honey he must put in his tea every morning.  
  
Zayn licks Liam’s lips, pulls them between his teeth and bites down until Liam’s gasping and opening his mouth for Zayn to explore. He sucks Liam’s tongue with something that can only be called ‘reverence’ and sends shivers all the way down Liam’s spine. He has his hands around Liam’s neck and jaw and Liam feels his skin burn softly where Zayn’s fingers touch him and he yearns for more of the feeling, for more of everything Zayn is willing to give him.  
  
“Is this okay?” Zayn asks when they break apart for air and they’re still so close, Liam finds it hard to resist kissing him again but he refrains anyway. This moment is important, this moment is big and Liam is sure of it. He can’t let it go by wordlessly.  
  
“Yes, this is definitely okay, this is more than okay.” He says and Zayn smiles against Liam’s lips and right then and there, Liam is the happiest he has ever been.


End file.
